Every student and staff member at Springer School and Center is represented in the two-by-four-foot glass mosaic that hangs in the hall at the Hyde Park school. The mosaic was created during the 2015 Maureen Wenker Artist in Residence program under the direction of local glass artist Sandra Gross.
Students and staff created the two by two-inch squares that make up the mosaic, using bits of glass to fashion houses that reflect their personality. The squares and the final mosaic were fused at Brazee Street Studios, where Gross is owner and director.
During her residency, Gross met with each class and oversaw their construction of the tiny houses. She also worked with a small group of Upper School students who created larger freestanding works in glass, depicting the home they’d live in if they could live anywhere in the world. The students’ creations and the final mosaic were unveiled at a reception in March.
Eighth grader Fin Vieh placed his imaginary home on a mountaintop. “It was interesting figuring out how to put the house together,” he said. Skye Colvin had no plan for her house when she began working on it. “It just happened,” she said. “It was fun to do, and I am proud of how it turned out.”
Gross holds a MFA degree from Miami University and a MEd degree from Xavier University. Her Brazee Street Studios houses 25 professional artist studios, the Brazee Street School of Glass and gallery One One, which features exhibitions in a variety of media.
The Maureen Wenker Artist in Residence program was established in 1993 by Paul Wenker, in honor of his late wife Maureen, a Springer supporter and volunteer, and mother of three Springer graduates.
